Rogue Trader 2015: Halcyon Rising

Session 2: The Choice Made

Thought of the Day: The ends always justify the means

Two weeks the Blade took to lick its wounds, bury it’s dead and recover from a hard and unexpected fight, After a meeting aboard the Bridge Solar Holt was informed to send a signal, to message Captain Gozer of the Starship: Swiftsure, Casmirri Orthesian pledged his loyalty to the Arcadia Dynasty to continue his duty to the God-Emperor and the Imperium of Man. Harrai Kimjaun’Ill confirming the signal received two weeks earlier to be unmistakably Mechanicus.

A plan was forged, plot a dangerous course into the Warp Storm, guided by the black-box data-prayer from Casmirri Orthesian’s unrecoverable Starhawk bomber, employ the skills of Esteban Visscher and trust in the Blades staff.

For the journey the crew prepared the Thunderhawk Gunship to the best of their ability, Grymm Byrke unusually requesting Casmirri Orthesian’s assistance, it seems the war-spirit of the ship is too unruly for the Mechanicus and the ship trusts Casmirri, or at least knows him well enough to listen, between the two the ship was prepared and launched towards the Storm-Planet, the multi-hewed and unnatural storms lighting their descent into madness.

The harrowing descent proved easy if completely bizzar with minor manifestations of the very stuff of chaos, the onboard auspex ghosting the impossible, below they find an impressive mountain made of metal, the signs and iconography of a Mechanicus Vessel clear despite the damage, a 35 kilometer trench carved behind it, the entire command and control tower missing from it’s hull.

Landing the Thunderhawk at a safe distance the Explorers set off towards this towering hulk, leaving behind all but one of the Special Arcadia Servicemen ( S.A.S ), the horizon dominated by the prismatic storms, the weather picking up with rain and gale, around them a war-zone, littered with bodies, wrecks of war-vehicles, crashed shuttles, destroyed drop-pods, a true invasion force in ruins, all of it Reaver and all of it wrecked.

Salvaging from this morass Casmirri Orthesian managed to find a working Centaur and made the job of trekking up a muddy mountain full of corpses that much easier, the huge rent on the flanks of the Starship: Explorator Y-01 Singularity exposing decks to the world, still untainted thanks to his weak-gellar field still in operation.

The corpses of Reaver joined with sevitor of every stripe, wonderful works of efficient art and the rare glimpse of what would later be known as a Clasarri, the Mechanicus version of Armsmen, void-borne Skitarii.

The Explorers delved deep into the hulk, heading for what they belived to be the centre of operations sans the Bridge, having to cut around sealed bulk-heads and travel through locked-down vents to get to their destination, poor Special Arcadia Servicemen ( S.A.S ) Sargeant Jenkins, newly promoted disappeared, leaving behind his flamer, his fate never to be known, eventually sounds of a gunfight echo through the once hallowed walls, the Explorers stumbling upon a Chiurgeon, trying to save anothers life, upon him noticing the Explorers, shot at the Lord-Captain, drawing and revving his chainsword, the indiviual dressed in red fatigues, covered in blood, flak armour and blast-goggled raised, mask covering his mouth to privide life-sustaining oxygen, Thael ‘Chief’ Torque putting a neat hole in his chest where his heart once was, killing him instantly.

The chamber exploding with hostiles, on the same deck and on higher gantries, Casmirri Orthesian using his Lathe Pattern Jump Pack to gain the advantage, a hulking well armored hostile walking around the corner casually, fore-arm mounted flamers and a large back-pack supply hosing the air with fire, Casmirri expertly dodging the blasts.

The battle raged between three parties, Reavers, the Explorers and an unknown third, once battle was done and the Explorers stood victoriously, after a hard-won and close fight the third party revealed itself in neat ordered firing lines, Provost Kurn interrogating them, the Clasarri survive.

After convincing Provost Kurn they are friendly, they are lead to Central Cogitation Templum Alpha where they meet Adjutant V, a none-typical and unimpressive tech-priest, with no Mechadendrites to speak of and biological hands, he has obviously held back from the typical cybernetic upgrades, Druce Barathon and Silence also in attendance.

After pleasantries it is revealed Adjutant V name is Varco Gearhart and according to Druce is a Heretek most foul, whilst Varco advises he is a true, loyal servant of the Mechanicus, each side giving their thoughts and opinions, the Explorers hold the only working Starship and any possibility for escape and thus are charged with a decision.

Hand Varco into Pompeii as a Heretek and reap the gratitude of the Lathes, instant wealth and a good reputation will be theirs.

Or

Cover up Varco and hide him from Pompeii and reap the bounties of the Silver Ship, a pre-Imperial vessel of Legend.

Their decision not yet made all were saved from the Explorator Y-01 Singularity and ferried with great skill and determination by Casmirri Orthesian himself, a meeting of all parties eventually leading to a choice, the Arcadia Dynasty is to hide Varco Gearhart for a price to the tacit disapproval but begrudging acceptance of Druce Barathon, the location and salvage of the Silver Ship, of which Varco has promised he knows where to find…. or will know as the cypher used to encode this information was stolen, infact that was why his ship was wrecked, betrayed by a as-yet unknown Rogue Trader.

Why doesnt Varco know the true name of this Rogue Trader and who can hide secrets from the Mechanicus,